Currently, there are many technologies incorporating conductive materials into cloth or leather materials to create electrical circuits or to make electronic components. Included are technologies that incorporate conductive materials into cloth materials to create electric switches, for example, the bendable switch apparatus, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,432, makes use of a textile material arranged in triple layers to form an electric switch. Another example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,467 (China Patent No. CN 1252762), is an electric switch that utilizes an upper and a lower layer of a conductive material sandwiching an elastic material. This device can be a pressure or strain sensor, but a pressure-sensitive component has to be added therein. Based on the amount of pressure applied, this pressure-sensitive component will produce a change in electrical characteristic. The layered textile materials for use in the afore-mentioned electric switches are common and numerous. However, these often involve multiple components, making the manufacturing process somewhat complicated.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,955 discloses fixing a conductive material into a zipper. This approach limits its use to clothing articles that use a zipper. Also, it can't be repaired by the user himself. Another example disclosed in China Patent No. CN1666308, is an electrical switch made of an upper and lower parts. However, because it can't be incorporated into a cloth material, the manufacturing process is somewhat complicated.
Also, some use such materials in a signal or electric current transmitting device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,154,071. But again, as in the above examples, it has disadvantages of requiring a complicated manufacturing process. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,237,886 and 6,970,731 disclose a snap-on button that easily detaches with prolonged use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,771 discloses a 2-part structure that can be used in a switch array. However, such an array not only easily produce a false signal, but its function is also easily affected by wet cloth caused by sweat or rain, or may give the user electric shocks. Besides, this invention can only measure pressure, but not strain.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,939, a button-hole interconnect that is used as a conductor includes an opening and the button interconnect device. These two has to be operated manually by the user to be able to connect to the power source or an electronic equipment, and once electrically connected, it cannot be disconnected. Therefore, in terms of environmental protection and energy-savings, it is not ideal because it cannot automatically change its state of being conductive or non-conductive based on changes in an outside force, and it also can't distinguish different extent of conductivity once it is connected.
From these examples, we can see that presently available cloth materials that can form electronic components are inconvenient to use and disadvantageous with regard to structure and practical use. Therefore, there is a need for further improvement. To solve the above-mentioned problems, manufacturers have devoted a lot of energy to find a solution. However, for a long time, a suitable design has not been developed, and the ordinary products do not posses the appropriate designs that can solve the above problems. This is clearly an urgent problem. Therefore, how to design a new structural type of cloth materials that can be used to form electronic components is an important research topic at present, and improvement in this area is also a goal of the industry.
In view of the disadvantages of the presently available types of cloth materials for making electronic components, the present inventor, based on his practical experience and professional knowledge from years of devotion to the design and manufacturing of these types of products, coupled with theoretical applications and vigorous research and innovation, set out to design and develop a new type of cloth materials that can be used to form electronic components to improve on the presently available types of cloth materials so that such materials will have more practical uses. After continuous research, design, trials, and improvement of prototypes, the inventor has finally come up with this invention with true practical values.